


Lessons in Art History

by lodgedinmythoughts



Series: Lessons with Lokane [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - All Human, Alternate Universe - College/University, And Future Lovers, Clueless Jane, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Just a Couple of Idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 01:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14297775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodgedinmythoughts/pseuds/lodgedinmythoughts
Summary: Jane was just there to fulfill a requirement. She didn't expect to end up next to Loki Odinson.





	Lessons in Art History

Jane observed the lecture hall from her vantage point at the back. The class size wasn’t extremely large, but it was enough to fill the seats, leaving sparse empty seats closer toward the middle of the rows, which was hell for people who arrived later. And so the back it was for Jane.

It wasn’t like she _tried_ to arrive later than the more punctual students. As a senior, she was well aware of some of the tips upperclassmen gave incoming freshmen. Namely: don’t have two classes back to back that are on complete opposite ends of campus. Unfortunately, Jane’s scatterbrained tendencies had led her to overlook a credit she needed to graduate in the spring and had yet to fulfill, and so she had no choice but to enroll in the only class that would fit in her schedule.

All in all, she didn’t mind being in the back. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about taking art history, but the humanities were not her forté and, even though she knew students were more likely to do well if they sat in the front, she figured she might be less distracted in the back, which was empty save for one or two people farther down.

She had just laid out her laptop and was rifling through her backpack on the floor when she spied a large brown shoe out of the corner of her eye. Immediately she twisted around, her hair whipping across her shoulder as she tried not to appear too startled. Which was quite a challenge when her eyes landed on the person she least expected to see.

“Jane Foster.” Loki let out a low chuckle as he looked down at her with his trademark smirk.

 _Don’t tell me…_ “You’re taking art history?” Jane asked with clear disbelief. She discreetly took him in and the nonchalant picture he painted as he loomed over her with a couple of books tucked under his arm.

“I’m insulted,” he said, taking a seat. Right next to her. “Do I really appear so uncouth?”

Jane barely refrained from rolling her eyes. What a joke. He thought he was better than everyone and he knew everyone knew it. “Didn’t expect to see you in here.”

“I could say the same to you. Has our dear Jane finally expressed an interest in the arts?”

Jane was trying not to look at him, but she couldn’t stop herself from slowly turning her head to grace him with a glare.

“Oh, no, she’s just fulfilling a requirement she probably remembered at the last moment and nearly had an aneurysm trying to squeeze in. She’d rather be anywhere but here. I suspected as much.” Loki leaned in slightly and said the last part in a mock conspiratorial tone.

“Why are you even sitting here, Loki?”

“Silly question, Jane. I assume you’ve noticed how cramped the space between rows is. At least up here there’s fewer people.”

“And you really had to sit right next to me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, making a show of glancing down either end of the row. “Are these seats reserved for all your friends?”

Jane fought the urge to whack him with her laptop. He’d often made backhanded comments about her lack of friends and she would never admit it, but it struck a nerve. Aside from Darcy, whom she’d met by tutoring her in math and whose friendship was probably a fluke, she didn’t really have friends. It had never been a priority, going out or being social. She had acquaintances, certainly, but not many people she could let out her frustrations or elation with, people she felt would have her back.

Then there was Thor, she supposed, but in a sort of roundabout way. With their budding relationship having run out of water long ago, she was getting more comfortable with calling him a friend. They were on good terms.

Which was more than she could say for Loki. From the moment she was introduced to him by Thor at the brothers’ rugby game almost two years ago, he had been antagonistic, sometimes surly, and condescending. Other times he was lighthearted, irreverent, always smirking or looking at her with that mischievous glint in his eye.

Fortunately they didn’t run into each other too often, as it was a pretty big campus and they most certainly did not run in the same social circles. They weren’t likely to share classes either, with him studying philosophy and her physics, which had always comforted her up until the moment his brown suede shoe appeared from the corner of her eye. If she really wanted, she could’ve moved seats, but she’d gotten there first and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of winning.

“Don’t bother me,” she said, facing forward just as the professor walked in. He wanted to sit there, fine. She was determined to ignore him.

She didn’t expect, however, for him to lean in closer than he’d ever been and say lowly near her ear, “Where’s the fun in that?”

  


* * *

  


Seeing Loki three days a week was more than she thought she could handle. Every class, he planted himself next to her. Sometimes she chose a seat one or two places down from her usual, but still he’d come in and drop his books on the small pull-out desk right next to hers. She stuck to those more subtle shifts; moving farther down would’ve been like admitting defeat. She wanted to ask why he kept choosing to sit next to her of all places, but she knew it was just because he loved tormenting her. He probably gained some sort of sick pleasure from her pain.

“Your shoelaces are undone,” he said one day in the middle of lecture.

 _What is he, 6?_ She didn’t grace him with a response; instead, she made a point of looking ahead. When class was over and she made to leave, she tripped over one of the laces and nearly faceplanted on the floor, arms flailing until she was able to catch her balance on the chairs in the row in front of her.

Having watched the whole thing play out, Loki simply said, “That was far more entertaining than I thought it would be.”

Jane stared daggers at his retreating back.

“I found the last assignment extremely tedious, did you not?” he said another day as he sat down. He didn’t say it with a sneer or in a goading manner. In fact, he almost sounded like a normal person commiserating with a fellow student, so Jane felt it was safe to reply.

“It was. But I saw the point in it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. This is art history and if we don’t look at the actual history behind the pieces, what’s the point?”

Loki gave a low, dry chuckle. “Brava, Jane.”

She rolled her eyes.

Another day when she came in later than usual, she wasn’t surprised to find Loki already seated. “Don’t say anything,” she grumbled as she squeezed past him into her seat, her soaked jeans sticking uncomfortably to the backs of her thighs.

“Clearly I don’t need to,” he said, taking in her drenched clothing. “The state of your attire speaks for itself.”

They were a couple minutes into the lecture when Loki reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and proffered a tissue.

Jane eyed it warily. “Is it used?”

“I’m not a barbarian, Jane,” he said flatly.

She took it, mumbling a small “thanks” before drying off her hands and dabbing at her face.

“Might I suggest an umbrella next time?”

Jane wondered if she could get away with blowing her nose into the tissue and stashing it in his pocket without him noticing.

She came in another day with a cold and he scowled.

“Try not to infect me, will you?”

“What, afraid of catching inferior germs?” Her voice was decidedly less threatening when it was colored with phlegm.

“I’d rather not be at the mercy of the common cold. I’m not sure if you know this, Foster, but I’ve got important things I need to—”

He was cut off by a loud, exaggerated sneeze. He grimaced and angled himself away and she grinned wickedly to herself, hidden as it was by the tissue she raised to her face.

When they found out their next assignment involved visiting the university’s art museum with a partner, Jane groaned internally. Was a partner really necessary? Class was letting out and people were gathering their things to leave, some pairing up as they went. Jane remained seated as Loki gathered his books and stood.

“I know the lecture was riveting, Foster, but I’m afraid everything must come to an end.”

Jane eyed him from her seat. He didn’t look like he was in any rush to leave but she couldn’t exactly afford to dilly-dally, so she stuffed her things into her bag and stood. He didn’t give her space as she did, so she was right up on him, the top of her head not even reaching his shoulder. “Excuse me,” she said.

Loki merely turned to the side and beckoned for her to go first. With an inexplicably heated face, Jane swept past him and out of the lecture hall. He was easily able to catch up with his long stride, so like always, they walked side by side through the lobby among the sea of students.

“Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I assume you don’t have a partner for the art gallery,” he said, bumping shoulders with her—or rather, arm-to-shoulder.

“You’re right, that is presumptuous,” she said, side-stepping several people. _But true_. This was one of the times she hated not being very social. She knew what Loki was going to suggest, and the worst part was she didn’t have a very good reason to say no.

“But am I wrong?” Loki said. At Jane’s silence, he continued, “Ah, so there we have it. It then stands to reason that we should be partners, already familiar with the other as we are.”

_Only because you won’t leave me alone._

“Fine,” Jane said, unwilling to put up a fight. Truth be told, it was mostly because she didn’t feel like approaching an unknown classmate.

Loki raised his brows in a small show of surprise. “It’s agreed then.” He held the door open for her and she stepped outside. “All I need is your number.”

Jane froze on the steps of the building, an elbow or two bumping into her as they passed. “What?”

Loki’s shoulders sagged in a show of exasperation. “Honestly, Jane, the ego on you. You’re acting as if I’m asking for anything other than professional reasons. We will need a way to contact each other to iron out the arrangements, will we not?”

“Can’t we just email each other?”

“Unless you’re checking your email at all hours of the day, it’s not as immediate as text. Are we really going to stand here and bicker about this all day? I do have places to be.”

“Fine, gimme your phone.” Jane held out her hand. Once Loki’s phone was placed in it, she quickly added her contact information and texted herself. “Now I have yours. I’ll text you later, or you me or whatever. Just don’t wait too long. I may not have a lot of free time,” she said as she continued down the steps.

“Copy that,” she heard from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Loki heading in the other direction as he usually did after class. Facing forward, she implored the universe for a smooth outing, as smooth as anything could be between the two of them.

The next day on her way to one of her classes, Jane decided to text Loki first.

_Are you free this Thurs between 2 and 5?_

She didn’t expect him to respond right away, so she put her phone away and set aside all thoughts of Loki for the duration of class. After class was over and she was walking across the quad, she saw she had an unread message.

_No. I’m free Friday at 1._

She typed her response.

_I’m busy then. Sat afternoon?_

_I’m busy all day Saturday._

Jane groaned in frustration.

_The earlier we go, the better. Are you busy Sun?_

_Sunday works. At noon._

She was meeting Darcy for brunch on Sunday, so she’d be able to head over to the museum right after.

_Sunday at noon it is._

  


* * *

  


Come Sunday, Jane woke up an hour later than she would’ve preferred and found herself rushing to meet Darcy. She didn’t have much time to think of what to wear, so she slipped on an emerald green A-line dress that reached her mid-thigh. The brunch place they liked to go to every now and then was an excuse for Darcy to get Jane to dress up a little. After seeing the very limited options in her friend’s closet, Darcy insisted on taking her shopping.

With a quick look in the mirror, Jane stuffed her notebook into her bag and was off.

“Look at you,” Darcy said as Jane sat down at the table.

“Look at you,” Jane retorted. “Rocking the big hoops, I see.”

Darcy shrugged playfully. “So how’ve you been? How are classes?”

“Oh, same ol’, same ol’. My particle physics class is kicking my ass.”

“Mm, I’d say I wish I could say the same, but I’m glad I can’t. My political theory professor is a major douche nozzle, though. I can’t believe you’re a senior. You’re gonna leave me all alone next year.”

Jane waved her off. Darcy was very much a homebody and couch potato, but she had more of a social life than Jane ever did.

The waiter then came around and took their order and the two resumed catching up. Jane’s mouth watered when their food arrived. As a senior who still lived on campus, she was used to dining hall food, which really wasn’t bad and infinitely better than she could ever make herself, but it could get old having the same thing all the time, even if in rotation. When she even found time to eat, that was. She had a tendency to forget about food what with all her schoolwork and, embarrassingly, Darcy was often the one to prod her to eat.

They were enjoying good food and conversation when Darcy spied the top of Jane’s notebook peeking from her bag. “What’s the notebook for?” she asked.

“Oh,” said Jane, glancing at the worn edges, “I have to head to the art gallery after this. It’s for an assignment for my art history class.”

“Why do you look so bummed about it?”

Jane pushed her food around with her fork. “No reason.”

“Uh-huh,” Darcy said through her food. “You’re a terrible liar, Jane. Hey, isn’t that your class with Loki the Hot Ass Odinson?”

Jane pursed her lips and said sharply, “Yup.” She wasn’t agreeing with the “hot” part, of course. Just the “ass” part. “We have to have a partner at the art gallery, and guess who mine is?”

Darcy laughed. “Oh, no. Was it assigned or something?”

“No, actually.”

“Then how the hell did you end up partnering with him? I thought you said you hated him.”

“I do, but I don’t know anyone else in the class and so when he suggested it, I thought, fine, might as well.”

“Wait, he asked you? As in he wanted to be your partner?”

“Yes…”

“Jane, I am telling you, the dude has the hots for you!”

Jane looked around, willing Darcy to lower her voice. “Please, Darcy. Not this again.”

“What?” Darcy shrugged with her palms in the air. “Just stating the obvious. That’s why he’s always hanging around. He’s like the kid on the playground who tugs on the pigtails of the girl he likes.”

“So you’re saying he’s an emotionally stunted 22-year-old guy?”

“But a hot one.”

Jane gave her an unamused look.

Darcy continued, “Seriously, though, Jane, some people just show their emotions differently.”

“It doesn’t even matter,” said Jane. “I don’t like him, so that’s all there is to it.”

“This is so unfair.” Jane looked up and saw Darcy with an exaggerated lamenting expression on her face. “How come I can’t have a hot guy pining after me so I can be oblivious until my friend points it out and then I won’t be able to unnotice the sexual tension? At least I’d appreciate it.”

Jane flicked tiny bits of food with her fork at Darcy, who flinched and laughed.

“Hey!”

Jane shook her head, unable to contain her smile.

After promises to meet again soon, the two then parted ways. Jane took a bus back to campus and made the trek to the art gallery, regretting her wedges. A glance at her watch told her she was ten minutes late. She entered the building and made her way to the appropriate exhibition. Looking around, she saw no sign of Loki. When she checked her phone, she saw no messages. She sighed. If she were right on time, she would’ve been waiting at least ten minutes for him to show up. Deciding to get started without him, she pulled out the assignment from her notebook and slowly moved across the gallery. She was in the midst of reading instructions when a tall figure appeared around the corner and nearly collided with her.

“Wha—” Jane stopped in her tracks. “Loki? Where have you been?” She frowned at the way his eyes roved over her figure.

“If you’d bothered to check, you’d have seen I was right over there the whole time.” He looked over his shoulder at the connecting gallery. “The better question is where have you been? Not even a courtesy text to say you’d be late?”

“It was just ten minutes. Sorry.” She added the last part as an afterthought. “You didn’t tell me where you’d be either.”

Loki pursed his lips. “We can start in there.” He turned his back on her and walked back to his previous place, expecting her to follow. Jane clenched her jaw and took off after him, her wedges making a dull stomping noise against the hardwood.

“You didn’t have to dress up on my behalf. Dressing up by your standard, that is.” Loki said this nonchalantly as he strolled along, one hand in his pocket and the other around his notebook, pencil perched behind his ear.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” said Jane.

“I have to if no one else will,” he said with a smirk, but Jane could see how it didn’t reach his eyes before he turned away.

“Right, so the first thing we have to do is find two separate portraits from the same period and compare how the subjects are presented.” Jane was eager to take control of the situation.

“Already found them,” said Loki.

“Ok…” Jane started. “What if I wanted to choose something different?”

“You’d have been able to had you showed up on time.”

She huffed. “This is a group assignment, Loki.”

Loki twirled on her, standing perilously close. “You know, you’re absolutely right, Jane. This is a group effort. So how about you start pulling your weight?”

“Excuse me?” Jane said incredulously. “We haven’t even _started_. We’ve never even worked together, so what are you talking about, pulling my weight?”

In lieu of a response, Loki continued to stare down at her. His eyes burned through her, his jaw taut, but she held his gaze, unwilling to back down.

“Everything alright here?”

They turned to see a security guard had approached them, hand on his walkie-talkie. In addition to that, several people in the vicinity were looking their way.

Jane let out a breath and took a small step back. “Yes. Sorry, sir. We’re just working on a class assignment.”

“We seem to running into some disagreements. Apologies,” Loki added.

“Alright, well, I’m going to have to ask you two to keep your voices down.” After a murmured agreement from Jane, the guard nodded and walked off.

Jane turned back to Loki and said more softly but no less scathingly, “Look what you did.” Then she walked off.

Loki closed his eyes as if counting to ten before going after her. “You are the most infuriating person I’ve ever met.”

“Me?” Jane whispered harshly. “You’re the one who keeps bothering me in class. You’re the one who decided to sit where you do.”

“Forgive me for wanting some entertainment during Hart’s dull lectures,” he said from right over her shoulder. “Maybe I should start seeking it elsewhere.”

“Yeah, maybe you should.” Jane stopped and Loki nearly crashed into her. She twirled around to face him. “Listen, Loki, I don’t want to be here any more than you do, so let’s just get this over with. We’ll do the necessary things together, then we can finish up the assignment on our own in peace.”

“What do you know, a smart idea at last.”

It took much willpower from both of them not to be at each other’s throats at the beginning, but after about an hour, they were able to complete the partnered portion of their assignment. Jane hoped to leave the building quickly, but Loki was right by her side as they stepped out into the sun.

She intended to look at him to gauge whether or not a muttered “see you” would be semi-welcome but when she turned her head, he was already looking at her. “What?”

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t care to hear it.”

She stopped and he followed suit when he noticed she was no longer by his side. “No, what?”

He quirked an eyebrow, something she’d noticed was a habit of his, and she tried not to think about how—dare she say it—endearing it was, especially with the way the sunlight illuminated his light eyes. “I was just thinking about how that shade of green suits you.”

_What?_

“Huh?”

“You asked, Foster.” He walked off, but Jane caught up.

“Wait.” Then she realized she had no idea what to say next. “Um…thanks, I guess.”

Loki chuckled in response. “You clearly don't take compliments very well.”

Unbidden, Jane’s cheeks flushed. “Well…not from you.”

Loki peered down as if to study her. “You’re a curious creature, Jane.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Jane.” He only continued when she met his eye. “That _is_ a compliment.”

Jane’s pace slowed until Loki was well ahead of her. He turned so that he faced her as he walked backwards. “See you tomorrow, Jane.” And with that, he turned back around. She stood on the cobbled path, her eyes following Loki’s retreating figure of their own volition. What was going on? They had just spent the better part of their project arguing, then things seemed to go alright, then he was complimenting her? And was it just her imagination or did he say her name a lot? She tried not to think about how low and smooth his voice was whenever it fell from his lips. How low and smooth it was every other time, come to think of it.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked around. Groaning, she realized she was in the complete opposite direction of where she’d originally intended to go.

  


* * *

  


About a week later, she was sitting on a small slope of grass that overlooked one of the sports fields, squeezing in a bit of work before lab. She looked up when she heard shouting and saw a group of guys in athletic wear jogging onto the grass. Her heart jolted when Loki came into view, stopping in the middle of the pitch and stretching out his quads. She didn’t realize she’d showed up right before rugby practice. She tried not to notice how long and toned his legs were, how she could see the compression shorts peeking from underneath the outer layer. His tall form cut a striking image out on the pitch and she found herself imagining what he looked like in his actual uniform. What he looked like in action.

_Nope. What are you doing, Jane?_

She willed herself to return her attention to her work but saw from the edge of her vision the guy next to Loki nudging him and pointing. Right at her. She pretended not to notice. When she thought it might be safe, her eyes darted up. Loki was still looking at her as he put in his mouthguard. He must have known she was looking since he raised his hand in a tiny salute. She didn’t respond and feigned interest in her work. From her peripheral, she saw him standing with his hands on his hips, still facing her direction. She wasn’t going to move spots. She was going to stay through their practice until she had to leave. She wasn’t going to watch. She wasn’t going to admire the way he managed to move gracefully across the pitch, even in a brutal sport. She for sure wasn’t going to notice how he wiped at his brow with his shirt, revealing a portion of his lean, cut stomach.

Jane scrunched up her eyes.

_Ugh._

  


* * *

  


Class together somehow became a little more bearable. He still got on her nerves from time to time, but a small part of her wondered if it really could’ve been like the playground scenario Darcy had talked about. _Damn it, Darcy._ It was her fault for planting any of that in Jane’s head. Apart from that, she was unwilling to admit to anyone but herself that their banter had become part of a routine, that he’d become a staple in her week, so much so that when he didn’t show up to class after a long holiday weekend, she found herself missing him. Or rather, his company that broke up the monotony of the day. Yeah. That was it.

She was tempted to take out her phone and text him but thought better of it. She didn’t want to come off like she cared or anything.

The next day during lab, Jane overheard two girls who were bent over a phone.

“Yeah, she said he was shirtless when she came over,” one said.

“Oh my god,” the other one said. “I can’t even believe he and Thor are related. They’re so different.”

“Still fine, though,” the first one said.

The calculator nearly slipped from Jane’s slack hands. There was no question who they were talking about. Loki? Shirtless? If he were in his own apartment, that wouldn’t have been anything unusual. But they said a girl came over. Did that mean Loki was waiting for her? Was he with a girl all day instead of attending class?

Jane scoffed. The funny feeling in her chest had to be because he’d managed to worm his way into her life only to throw a curveball by being absent. So what if he was with a girl? That was no surprise. Even with his demeanor, his looks were surely all that mattered for some people.

Resolving to cast aside all thoughts of Loki, Jane returned to her work. She had better things to do.

The next day, Loki was in class again. He sat down calmly with one seat between them. A first. He turned in the other direction to cough.

“Missed you the other day.” Jane meant for it to sound sarcastic, but she was afraid it only ended up sounding sincere.

“Good to know.” His voice held a light rasp to it.

Jane fiddled with her thumbs as she looked him over. “Are you sick?”

“Was. Am currently recovering. Don’t get too close.”

She wondered how he was willing to spend the day with that girl if he was sick. Digging through her backpack, she pulled out a couple of small items and held out her hand. “Cough drops?”

He looked at them for a long moment before taking them, his blunt nails coming in contact with her palm. Pocketing one before unwrapping the other, he said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She continued to stare at him until he looked at her.

“What?” His voice contained more than a little annoyance.

She held back a snort at his slightly nasally voice. “Just a reminder that you are, in fact, human is all.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

The look he gave her was unamused, but she couldn’t quite stop a smile from forming. Though her lips remained closed, she felt the crinkles in the corners of her eyes. Loki’s lips softly curved upward in return.

  


* * *

  


The semester flew by. Before she knew it, final exam season had snuck up on her and as a result, she spent most of her days in the library. She couldn’t believe the first semester of her senior year was almost over, but another part of her was excited to be getting closer to graduation, to maybe taking a gap year before embarking on her master’s and eventually her Ph.D. She had big hopes of contributing to the field of astrophysics; to study the stars was all she’d ever wanted.

But even in the midst of her intense studying, she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering to Loki. It made for a funny story how they’d started off as antagonists to becoming sort of…friends. They were much more in tune with each other than she ever thought they would be, and their conversations had become the highlight of her day. They still liked to tease each other, but any malicious intent behind it had evaporated. If someone had told her at the beginning of the semester that she and Loki Odinson would become quasi-friends, she would’ve carefully slinked away from what was clearly a deranged person. She still understood why some people were intimidated or put off by him, but after spending so much time in his proximity, she was beginning to fully understand the adage of ‘more than meets the eye.’

Jane tapped her pencil back and forth, her head resting on her hand. No matter how tolerable Loki had become, it wasn’t doing her any favors to have him infiltrate her thoughts while she was supposed to be studying for her toughest class. Still, she couldn’t help wondering what he was doing at that very moment, if he was studying too or perhaps doing something else. If art history was any indication, he seemed to grasp material easily, scribbling away on quizzes and tests and finishing before the majority of other students. His speed didn’t seem to hinder his results either; when they got their scores back, he always seemed satisfied with his. She scowled to herself in envy.

She was lost in thought, pencil unmoving, when a newcomer stopped directly across from her. Looking up with bleary eyes, she found Loki standing at the other side of the long table, one strap of his backpack slung over his shoulder. _Speak of the devil_. He was looking down at her with a small smile on his face. It took a moment for Jane to fully register his presence. Out of the whole semester, this had to be the first time she’d encountered him outside of class by chance.

“Loki,” she mouthed, in consideration of the other library dwellers.

“Jane,” he mouthed back with a dip of his head. He gestured to the chair across from her as though asking for permission and took a seat when she nodded.

“What are you doing here?” Jane whispered ever so slightly, exaggerating the movement of her lips for better understanding.

“If you haven’t noticed, this is a library and I am a student,” he whispered back.

Jane rolled her eyes. “I’ve never seen you outside of class before. It’s kind of weird.”

“I imagine I’ve been a source of many surprises to you over the course of the semester.”

Jane made a show of deliberating that, then nodded matter-of-factly.

He nodded toward her work. “How’s it going?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Hopeless.” She left out the part where it was only getting hopeless because he was invading her thoughts.

Loki looked to the side before looking back at her. “How about some fresh air?”

Jane hesitated. She knew if she gave up her seat, she’d be hard-pressed to find a decent spot later on and she needed a quiet place to study. But some fresh air might’ve done her some good. So with a nod, she packed up her things while Loki stood in wait. Once they approached the elevators, Loki let out a sigh like he’d been holding it in.

“I’m all for academia, but it is unimaginably stifling in there,” he said, glancing back. The sound of his low voice, not yet at his normal volume, was pleasing to Jane’s ear.

“It’s exam season. It’s bound to be full and people are gonna take their studying much more seriously.” They stepped into an empty elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. “How’s your studying going?”

“Tediously and frustratingly. I just about smashed my forehead through the table about an hour ago when all I was surrounded by were coughs and sniffles.”

Jane giggled. “Don’t forget you were sick a while ago.”

“Yes, well, at least I had the good grace to maintain my distance.”

“Yeah, ’cause you’ve got your apartment. Not everyone does.”

With a _ding!_ , the elevator doors opened and the pair stepped out into the main lobby.

“So where’re we going?” she asked.

He held the door open for her. “Anywhere.”

“Oh, sunlight.” Jane angled her face toward the sky and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” When she opened her eyes and looked off to the side at Loki, he was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. “What?”

“Nothing. Come on.” He jerked his head in the other direction and they made their way along the brick and past the bare trees before stopping in a grassy courtyard. They settled side by side on the cement seating bordered by shrubs. Jane sighed contentedly and leaned back on her arms as Loki observed. “Glad I rescued you then?”

“Only time you’ll ever be rescuing me, Odinson.”

Loki smiled at that. “Don’t be so sure.”

Jane peered at him. “Oh, I’m sure.”

They spent nearly an hour in the courtyard, chatting about nothing and everything until the sun began to set and the air grew even colder.

“What’s the brilliant Jane Foster up to now?” Loki asked as they stood.

Jane snuggled into her coat. “Well, brilliant ol’ me is getting hungry. I might head to the dining hall.”

“Why don’t we grab a bite somewhere? I could eat something as well.”

“On campus?”

“Not exactly. Let’s head to the main street.”

Jane shrugged. “Ok. I’m feeling Indian. How about you?”

“Indian it is.” They began the journey to a stretch of downtown on the edge of campus that housed a multitude of shops and restaurants. At two different points, two girls who passed by greeted Loki with flirty smiles, and Jane was reminded of the girl he’d presumably spent “quality time” with a while back. She then realized she didn’t even know if he was single. Not that it mattered.

“Quite the popular one, aren’t we?”

“It hardly matters. I find myself getting bored quite easily.”

“Maybe that’s your problem, not theirs.”

Loki arched his brow. “Defending them, are we?”

“Just speaking the truth.”

“So am I. I find I don’t have a personality that’s very…compatible with most people.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t suffer fools, Jane.”

He constantly sought her out, willingly kept her company. She was privy, or at least she assumed she was more than most, to Loki Odinson’s shared thoughts. She tried to stamp down the pride she felt upon hearing his words. What was she, looking for his approval or something?

They eventually reached the restaurant and Jane was glad to be out of the cold. Loki, however, was used to it. “I feel more at home during the winter months than anything else,” he told her as they were seated at their table.

“Do you miss it? Home?” she asked.

“I’ll admit I do, some times more than others. But I’ve been here long enough. And sometimes the people aren’t so bad.”

She could’ve sworn his gaze rested on hers for longer than normal but she also couldn’t be sure. They soon ordered their food and Jane suddenly found it hard to come up with anything to say.

“So,” she stretched out the word, “any plans after graduation?”

Loki seemed to consider it. “Undecided as of now.”

“Oh.” He’d always given her the impression he had a concrete path set in stone.

“My parents…they want me to take over the family business, you see. Get a business degree. I, on the other hand, would like to pursue my master’s and eventually a doctorate.”

“Me, too,” said Jane.

“Astrophysics?”

“Yup.”

“I admire that about you, Jane. You know what you want and you go after it.”

“Well, you strike me as the type, too.”

“Oh, I am.”

Jane found it hard to maintain eye contact when he looked at her like that, steadily, almost predatorily.

He continued. “But with my father, in particular, it can be…difficult gaining his approval.”

Jane wasn’t sure what to say to that. “That sucks,” she was able to provide.

“It does indeed.”

“So what’s the family business?”

“Falconry.”

She must have been giving him a dumb look since he burst into laughter. She was captivated by the way his entire face transformed when he laughed. He looked even more handsome, more real, more tangible.

“I’m kidding,” he said. “It’s Gard International.”

Her eyes widened. “Gard International? The conglomerate?”

“That’s the one. My father’s looking at me to take his place as CEO one day since Thor abdicated the responsibility.”

“ _That’s_ the family business? That’s…a lot of pressure.”

“You’re telling me. Needless to say, my father’s not exactly happy about my choice of study. Even though Thor’s the one who shirked his duty in the first place.”

“Well,” Jane began hesitantly, “I may be overstepping my bounds here, but you can’t exactly blame Thor for not wanting the job in the first place. I mean, really, you’re in the same position. He just had the dumb luck of having a younger sibling to pass the burden onto.”

Loki wore a displeased expression. “You have a point.”

“As for your father, my two cents if you want to hear it is that in the end, I don’t think anyone wants to reach the end of their life having lived it for someone else, all the while utterly miserable. I know it’s always tough with family and expectations, I get that, but we get one life to live and we really have to make it our own. Time flies and before we know it, most of life is behind us.” She fiddled with her drink after her spiel, half-convinced he would call it idealistic or cliche or naive. “Easier said than done, I know. I’m sure everyone struggles with it.”

“It is. Easier said than done. But somehow I think hearing it from you makes it a little more palatable.”

“Me? Why?”

“You exude hope, Jane. Hope for something bigger than yourself. It’s fascinating to witness.”

Jane made a pathetic attempt at ducking her head to hide her blush.

“It’s overly idealistic, yes. But perhaps that’s my cynical nature speaking. After all, where would we be without dreamers? I do think you’re capable of great things, Dr. Foster.” He emphasized that last part and gave her a crooked smile.

“Well, so are you, Loki. And I think you know that.”

He averted his gaze to the table. “Tell me about your family.”

“My family?”

“Yes. You were close with your parents, were you not?”

The only way he’d have known that was from when they were forced to make small talk years ago after Thor introduced them. She was surprised he remembered such a detail. He was also clearly trying to change the subject, but she wanted to respect his wishes.

“Uh, I was. I remember absolutely adoring my mom but she died when I was young, so it was just me and my dad after that. He was actually a professor at Culver, which is where I want to go for grad school. Then he died when I was 17 and it’s just been me ever since.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Loki murmured.

The stiffness in Jane’s shoulders belied her shrug. “It’s alright.”

“Did they support you in your endeavors?”

“Oh, for sure. My mom was actually the one who got me my first telescope and my dad took me to the planetarium when he could. I did space camp, stuff like that. They didn’t force it on me, though, so I still got to enjoy every other aspect of being a kid.”

“Sounds lovely.”

She nodded. “What’s your mom like?”

Loki let out a heavy breath. “My mother is…someone to be cherished.”

Jane’s heart clenched. She’d never heard anyone be described that way before. And coming from Loki, it was an unexpected and especially poignant remark.

“Forgive the trite notion, but I often feel like she’s the only one in the family who understands me. I’m adopted, you see.”

_What?_

It took her a second to realize she’d said that out loud.

“Thor never told you, I gather.”

“Well…no.” Loki hadn’t often come up in conversation during her short fling with Thor.

“I don’t think they ever planned on telling me either. It was by accident I found out.”

“You’re kidding.”

“They fully dropped the bomb once I demanded the truth and that was that. Are you now satisfied in knowing why Thor and I don’t at all look alike?”

“Well, I mean, that’s common with siblings.”

Loki smiled wryly. “You and Thor…I have to say you were quite an odd match.”

“Oh, is that why you were always so mean to me? I wasn’t good enough for your brother?” She was only half-joking.

“On the contrary, Jane.”

When he didn’t say anything further, Jane frowned in confusion. Then as if on cue, their food arrived and the conversation steered toward more innocuous topics. When it came time to pay and the waiter placed a single check on the table, Jane tried to flag her down but she’d already gone.

“It’s fine, Jane, it’s on me,” Loki said.

“I can’t let you do that. Just let me pay my half.” She twisted around to find the waiter and was shocked to feel a large cool hand on hers. Trying not to appear startled, she calmly turned back around, not brave enough to look at the hand he had outstretched effortlessly across the table.

“I assure you, Jane, it’s nothing.”

“But…pay you back…” she sputtered as he took his hand away. Then her shoulders sagged. “Fine. At least let me get next time.”

Loki chuckled like he was humoring her. “If you insist.”

Then she realized what she’d just proposed. And that he’d accepted. _But_ , she rationalized, _friends go out to eat together all the time._

After the check was paid, they ventured into the cold once again.

“Interesting plans for tonight?” Loki asked.

“If you call studying like a mad person interesting. I probably won’t be able to find an empty desk at the library, though. I might just head back to my room and hope my roommate’s gone.”

“I’ll walk you back.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense. I’ll be on campus this evening anyway.”

“Ok,” Jane said with an unsure note in her voice. What an odd evening it had turned out to be. She and Loki may have become friendly with each other, but she never expected to keep his company outside of class, let alone have dinner with him. Now there he was, escorting her back to her dormitory. Senior year was certainly shaping up to be different from what she thought it would be.

They reached the residence hall and Jane fiddled with the strap of her bag. “Well, um, I guess I’ll see you at the exam. Thanks for the walk. And dinner.” With an awkward nod, she turned to ascend the front steps. Then paused when she felt as well as heard the quick movement of the zipper on her backpack. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Loki wearing an uncharacteristically sheepish look on his face.

“Your, uh, your bag was slightly undone.”

“Oh.” She glanced at her backpack. “Thanks.”

He nodded and she turned once again to enter the building. Only when she got to her empty room did she think about how unnecessary it was for him to have done that, seeing as she had already reached her building. Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, she resolved to put the events of the afternoon behind her and get to work.

  


* * *

  


When time came for their art history exam, Jane was mildly surprised to find Loki already seated. She squeezed past him. “You’re here early.”

“I had plenty of time to get here.” He watched as she took out several pencils and laid them on the desk. “I take it you’re sufficiently prepared.”

“More like I’m ready to get this thing over with. At least it’s my last day of exams. Just try not to finish too fast, alright? You’re making the rest of us look bad.”

Loki affected an innocent expression. “Can’t make any promises.”

Not too long after everyone settled in, the exams were passed out and it was officially go time. At one point throughout the test, Jane’s soft sigh drew Loki’s attention and he questioned her with his eyes. She took her writing hand and stretched out the fingers, unaccustomed as she was to writing so many words unlike for her physics exams. In response, Loki did a quick raise of his eyebrows in understanding.

For a time, the only sounds in the lecture hall were those of scribbling and page turning, accompanied by the occasional sneeze or cough. Unsurprisingly, Loki finished before Jane. She looked up as he finished his double-checking and straightened out the papers. After folding in his desk, he picked up his bag and mouthed something to her.

“Huh?” Jane asked near silently.

“Phone,” he repeated and mimicked typing with his thumbs as he stood.

She frowned slightly before gathering he meant for her to check her phone later. She nodded. She tried not to breathe in his scent as he moved away, but it proved to be a distraction, even as she discreetly watched as he turned in his exam at the front and exited. Swallowing, she directed her attention back to her test, of which there were thankfully only two pages left. Time continued to pass and eventually she finished. Feeling infinitely lighter now that she’d made it through exams, she turned hers in and nodded and smiled at the professor before leaving. Once she was out of the room, she dug out her phone and saw she had a text from Loki.

_I’ll be in the student union if you have no plans right after the exam._

She quickly typed out her response.

_On my way._

When she got to the student union, she looked around for a bit before she found Loki sitting at a small table, two coffees sitting next to his open laptop.

“You really need that much of a pick-me-up?” She nodded to the coffee as she sat down.

He closed his laptop and slid one of the cups toward her. “Don’t be ridiculous. One’s for you.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that.”

“So you keep telling me. Just take it, Jane. Consider it a small token of congratulations for making it through exams.”

Biting her lip, she reveled in the warmth it afforded her ungloved hands. “Well, congrats to you, too. How were your other exams, by the way?”

“Challenging. But the kind I like.”

“Are you going home for winter break?”

“My mother would kill me if I didn’t. And you? I know most dorms close for long holidays.”

“Yeah, but thankfully I live in one of those that stay open. So I’ll be spending the holiday here.”

“Hm. Even I think that sounds a little drab.”

“It’s not all that bad. You basically get the whole campus to yourself.”

“Is that what you’ve done every year?”

“All except last year when I went home with Darcy. That was an eye-opener. Her family’s kind of insane.”

Loki seemed to consider something for a long moment. His eyes flickered up to hers. “You should come home with me.”

Jane nearly choked on her coffee. “What?”

“It’s a train ride away. And it can’t be any worse than staying here. You deserve a little rest beyond the walls of this campus. Besides, I already know my mother would love you.”

“I don’t think I can—that I’m ready to meet your parents.” Even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous. Their friendship was still pretty new and he wanted to go straight to having her meet his parents and staying in their presumably gigantic, fancy house?

“My father will likely be busy for most of the time anyway so your chances of seeing him around are slim, and like I said, my mother will adore you. But should you wish for privacy, the grounds provide ample space.”

“What about Thor? Won’t he be there?”

At that, Loki spoke more carefully, tracing his coffee cup as he deliberated on his words. “He’s visiting for the holiday, yes. Will it be an issue?” His eyes flew up to hers, locking her in place.

“No, but…I don’t know, it is kinda weird. We did go out. But I guess we did remain friends.”

“And you’d be my guest, not his.”

Jane wanted to laugh. Loki Odinson was inviting her to spend the holidays with his well-off family. The closest she’d ever been to any home with something that constituted as grounds was on tv. “I wouldn’t want to impose. I’m sure your parents don’t want some stranger hanging around for family stuff.”

“On the contrary, I’m positive my mother would be absolutely delighted to have me bring someone home.”

 _Bring someone home_. He made it sound like they were dating or something. She nursed her coffee. “I don’t know, Loki. Break is pretty long. What if we get sick of each other and want to rip each other’s throats out?”

“It’s a big place. There are plenty of hiding spaces.”

“Shouldn’t you at least check with your parents first?”

“Believe me. They won’t mind.”

She chewed on her lip for several moments and spoke slowly. “If you’re sure.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I weren’t.”

This was surreal. She was about to agree to go spend the holidays with her sort-of-ex-boyfriend and brother-of-said-ex-boyfriend-and-enemy-turned-unexpected-friend’s family. Resigned to the fact that her life had once again taken an odd turn, she said, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. But ok.”

Loki’s slow returning smile somehow made it worth it.

  


* * *

  


They were set to leave the upcoming Sunday now that all exams were officially over and most residence halls were closing, so that had left Jane with a couple of days to pack. Saturday night found her getting ready for an end-of-year party at the place of one of Darcy’s friends. The latter had begged Jane to come along and so she reluctantly agreed. It wasn't like there was anything else to do.

She tried to tame her cowlick and grimaced at her reflection. “This is as good as it gets,” she muttered.

When the two girls made it to the house not too far from campus, Darcy said dreamily, “Ah, hot rugby guys, here we come.”

“Rugby?” Jane stopped in her tracks.

“Yeah?”

“That means Loki’s probably here.” She knew Loki had his own apartment and didn’t live, was probably glad not to live, with a group of guys from the rugby team who rented a house together. But she’d heard about these parties and how most of the team usually showed up in addition to a crazy number of other people.

Darcy pushed her glasses up. “So? I thought you guys were friends now.”

“We are, it’s just, it’ll be kinda funny seeing him in a party setting, I don’t know.”

Darcy studied her for a second. “Stop being so weird, Jane, and let’s go get crunk.” She threw an arm over her friend’s shoulder as they approached the lively atmosphere.

The glow of the indoor lights was visible through the curtains and Jane could see the shadows of the crowd. People piled in and out the front door. When they entered, the sound of loud chatter and music was near deafening, and she was pretty sure she heard breaking glass somewhere. Darcy grabbed her hand as she weaved through the crowd.

“Come on, let’s get a drink!”

They eventually landed in the kitchen and were pouring drinks for themselves when a stocky guy with sandy blond hair approached.

“Darcy!”

“Evan, hey!” Darcy greeted him with a side hug. “Jane, this is Evan, he’s on the team. Evan, Jane.”

Evan held out a hand and gave Jane a boyish smile. “Pleased to meet you, Jane.”

“You, too.”

“Never seen you at one of our parties.” He turned to Darcy. “How come you’ve never brought her here before?”

“Sorry, bud, she’s completely out of your league.”

“Oh, you think you’re funny.”

Darcy patted him on the arm. Then someone from the other room said her name and she waved them over. She made introductions and her friend Laura launched into a conversation that seemed to require just the two of them. Evan turned to Jane.

“Care for a tour? It’s not much, but who knows, we might run into something interesting.”

“Uh, sure, why not?” As they left the kitchen, Jane cast a quick glance at Darcy, who was able to spare a nod and smile amidst Laura’s rapid storytelling.

“So you live here?” she asked as they carved a path through the house.

“Nah, I just spend so much time here that I might as well. So you saw the kitchen and that was obviously the living room.” He gestured behind him and led her to another area. “This is our sitting room.”

Jane took in the smaller space and the fewer people who occupied it, slightly disappointed when she didn’t spy Loki’s distinct figure.

Evan then took her through the hallway. “Most of the bedrooms are here.” He rapped on a couple of the doors with a knuckle as he passed. “Bathroom’s down there, laundry’s down there and up there is a loft that’s designated as the game room. Wanna see?”

“Sure.” Drink in hand, she followed him up the small flight of stairs as a couple passed them on the way down. They came up into an open area with a foosball table in the center, a video game area in the corner and several couches lying around. It was remarkably devoid of people.

“We don’t like many people coming up here. They tend to mess shit up and lose our things, especially when they’re hammered.” He took a swig of his beer and perched himself on one of the couch arms while Jane wandered around. “So what year are you?”

“Senior.”

“Me, too.”

“What are you majoring in?”

“History, you?”

“Physics.”

“Oh. I suck at anything math or science related.”

Jane shrugged. “Well, I kinda suck at history, so I guess we’re even.”

Evan laughed as Jane slowly moved closer, looking over the trinkets on the shelves.

“Seriously, though, how come I’ve never seen you around before?”

“I’m not really much of a partier.”

“That’s too bad. I’ve been missing out on getting to know you. Luckily, there’s always next semester.”

Jane didn’t know how to respond, so she ducked her head. She opened her mouth, about to ask about one of the trophies on the shelf when a third voice said her name. Both she and Evan turned to find Loki in the entryway, looking between them with a slightly arched brow.

“Oh, hey, Loki, what’s up, dude? You know each other?”

“Yes,” he said, piercing eyes fixed on Jane. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Something about his tone put Jane off even though she had just said herself she wasn’t much of a partier. “Is it that much of a surprise?”

“Yes,” Loki said simply.

They stared at each other from across the room and for whatever reason, it was like they were momentarily set back to the beginning of the semester.

“Ok,” said Evan, who was clearly uncomfortable. “Well, I’m gonna head back downstairs. You coming along, Jane?”

“No, actually, I think I’m gonna stay here.” She folded her arms.

“Oh,” he said, not having expected that reply. “Ok.” He looked from her to Loki. “Catch you later then. Come find me if you can.” He disappeared down the stairs.

Loki continued to stare Jane down, his arms crossed and long legs hip-width apart.

“What’s the deal?” she said. “What are you so mad about?”

“I’m not mad.”

“Your body language says differently.”

Loki let out a rough exhale through his nose and relaxed his shoulders ever so slightly. “I wasn’t aware you and Evan had met.”

“Yeah? So?”

“He’s interested in you, Jane.”

“Yeah, I’m not completely oblivious. What’s your point?”

“Are you interested in him?”

“So what if I am?” She wasn’t, but she felt like getting a rise out of Loki.

In what seemed to be a calculated effort, he moved his hands to his pockets and slowly stalked toward her. “Are you really?”

Jane rolled her eyes under the guise of maintaining control, even as he moved closer. “What are you going on about, Loki?” She tried to appear tough, but the intensity of his singular gaze was doing strange things to her insides.

He stopped just a foot from her. When he merely continued to stare with that odd look in his eye, she huffed, intent on ending their weird staring match.

“Why do you even care, Loki? You’ve got girls lining up for just two minutes with you.”

His expression shifted from deliberately cool to one of genuine confusion. “What?”

“Whatever, Loki, don’t play dumb. You do things like hanging out with girls when you should be attending class and—”

“I what?”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. You—”

“Jane, are you referring to when I was absent? I told you when I came to class that I was getting over a cold.”

Jane couldn’t reveal that she’d overheard those two girls talking about him without sounding like she was oddly invested in that part of his life.

“Despite whatever you may have heard, however you heard it, I was feeling poorly. Anyone who appeared at my door was swiftly sent away.”

Jane kept her gaze averted, a large part of her loath to admit how relieved she was upon hearing his side of things.

“That’s not the point.”

“It is if you brought it up.”

“Stop being so infuriating!”

“That title clearly belongs to you.”

Jane let out a sound of frustration and threw her hands up. She glared at Loki, who glared right back.

“See, this is one of the reasons I didn’t want to go home with you. I knew we’d find some way to end up hating each other again.” She moved to brush past him, and she nearly made it, but a firm grip on her bicep stopped her. She twisted around and Loki was merely looking down at her, the line of his mouth tight. When he didn’t say anything, she said, “What, Loki?” He didn’t respond and she added, “Are you done manhandling me?” Then the drink was plucked out of her hand.

“Hey,” she exclaimed as she watched him swiftly set it on a nearby surface. Then, before she knew it, Loki was suddenly right up on her, his musky scent filling her nose. His hand remained on her arm while the other gripped her waist, enveloping it by nearly half.

“Let me kiss you, Jane.”

_HUH?_

Jane’s hands automatically flew to the hand on her waist and his other forearm, her eyes and mouth similarly shaped in an ‘o.’ Loki was breathing hard as he gazed down at her, searching her eyes. When she made no response, the heat in his expression faded ever so gradually and he began to pull away. Without thinking, she held on fast so he couldn’t move. He looked at her, the question clear in his eyes but she also saw a sliver of hope. He kept his eyes trained on hers as she slowly moved his one hand to lay on the other side of her waist. With ragged breaths, she looked up at him, first his lips, then his eyes.

It was a stalemate.

There was a long beat of silence. Then—

She didn’t know who moved first. His lips were finally on hers and that was all that mattered. He kissed her with a ferocity she didn’t know was possible. Their teeth clashed, their tongues collided, but their fire burned perfectly in sync. Her hands clutched the lapels of his shirt while one of his moved to cup her cheek and wind through her hair. She closed the tiny bit of distance between them, wanting to feel all of him against her. His head bent lower than it already was to accommodate her height as he moved his attention from her lips to the corner of her mouth, to her jaw, then to her neck. Her senses were consumed by him. She was up in flames.

His hands dug into her waist as he held her tight to him, seemingly breathing her in. They moved to wrap entirely around her back, engulfing her in his larger form. Her fingers dug into his cheek before her nails came lightly scratching down his jaw. He gave a low groan that further sparked the heat in her belly and squeezed.

She didn’t know how long they stood there like that. The walls could’ve come crashing down and she wouldn’t have noticed. Gradually, reluctantly, they broke apart, their hands remaining on the other. Both of them were breathing hard. Jane looked up with half-lidded eyes to find Loki's gaze trained on her, his nostrils flared. In his expression was no less heat than before, but this time it spoke of an appetite that had been momentarily sated. He ran a thumb over her swollen bottom lip, a strange, satisfied gleam in his eye.

The world slowly came back. Jane could hear the sounds of the party below. Letting her hands slide down his chest to end on his abdomen, she said, “What now?”

His hands, strong and steady, were a brand on her waist.

“Now, we can truly begin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! Lokane is one of my OTPs and it always seemed a daunting task to attempt writing Loki. So I thought, why not start with a college AU?


End file.
